Obama reaches new milestone

Washington: Barack Obama reached a majority of the pledged delegates at stake in the primaries and caucuses on Tuesday, a symbolic milestone in his march toward the Democratic nomination for president.

But he still has work to do to claim victory over rival Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Clinton won most of the delegates on Tuesday night, including an overwhelming majority in Kentucky. Obama fared better in Oregon, where they were still counting votes early on Wednesday.

Clinton won at least 54 delegates in the two states and Obama won at least 39, according to an analysis of election returns by The Associated Press. All 51 delegates from Kentucky were awarded but there were still 10 of 52 to be allocated in Oregon.

Obama has won 1,649.5 pledged delegates in the primaries and caucuses, surpassing the 1,627 needed to claim a majority. Three primaries remain.

Obama has an overall total of 1,956 delegates, including endorsements from party and elected officials known as superdelegates. Clinton has 1,776, including superdelegates, according the latest tally by the AP.

Obama added two superdelegates on Tuesday and Clinton picked up one.

Republicans also were voting in the two states, but John McCain clinched the Republican nomination in March.

Most primaries and some caucuses are binding, meaning delegates won by the candidates are pledged to support that candidate at the national conventions this summer.